Sunday Roast Chicken With Root Vegetables

As the days are getting colder, ditching the outdoor bbq and embracing the oven seems like a very good idea indeed. A regular at our dinner table, the ever reliable roast chicken with it's golden crispy skin and moist juicy flesh with perfectly roasted vegetables, would have to be the most wonderful dining companions on a chilly and wet Melbourne night. I have been using this recipe adapted from The cook's  companion by Stephanie Alexander for a while now. If you are using a larger bird increase the cooking time by a further 15 minutes.

P.S For some reason not many photographs were taken (could be the wine?)

serves 3 to 4

you'll need;

1 x 1.2 kg free range chicken, dried thoroughly

6 medium size carrots

2 sweet potatoes

2 sweet potatoes (white)

rosemary, chopped

thyme, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

sea salt and pepper

olive oil

1 lemon, halved

Method;

1. pre heat oven at 220 degrees C

2. Mix chopped herbs with 4 tbs of olive oil and rub the chicken with the mixture, squeeze the lemon over the chicken and place the lemon halves into the cavity of the chicken. 

3. Add vegetables into the marinade and mix well.

4. Place vegetables in to a roasting pan and place the chicken on its side, roast for 15 minutes.

5. Turn the chicken onto its other side and roast for a further 15 minutes, turn the vegetables around and baste the chicken with the pan juice.

6. Turn the chicken breast side up for a further 15 minutes of roasting. Remove the chicken and let it rest for 15 minutes in a warm place, continue to roast the vegetables while the chicken is resting.

7. Serve chicken with roasted vegetables and the pan juice and side dishes of your choice.

This is one of the 2 photos I managed to take, I also served a side dish of baked fennel with parmesan cheese.